Phoenixes,
Mulberries, Whales, Lobnitzes, Corncobs and Role of Tugs at Normandy Harbor
on D-Day June 6, 1944

Success of an amphibious landing
depends not only on the initial assault, but on being able to supply and
reinforce the invading troops. Preparations for the allied invasion of Normandy
-- Operation Overlord -- began in August of 1943.

Lee-on-Solent
and the English Channel

Mulberries at Omaha and Gold Beach

Shipyards around Great Britain
employed 20,000 workers around the clock to build 150 concrete structures
200 feet long by 60 feet wide, by 60 feet high. These hollow blocks, called
Phoenixes, were to be laid end to end to form two giant breakwaters
-- one at the British beach, one at the American.

Perry Adams of San Carlos, California
[at left, March 1944], arrived at the former summer resort, Lee-on-Solent,
just across from the Isle of Wight, in March of 1944. Adams was a Purser/Pharmacist's
Mate on the tug, MV Farallon, which carried a crew of 32 mariners
plus 11 Naval Armed Guard.

The MV Farallon was one of 10
War Shipping Administration tugs operated by Moran Towing of New York, in
company with 2 U.S. Navy tugs, 2 Dutch tugs, and several British tugs. The
MV Farallon was 195 feet long, 37 feet wide, draft 15.5 feet, displacement
1,063 tons, 2,250 horsepower and could do 14 knots in light conditions.
photo of V-4 Tug

The tugs first assignment was
to tow the completed Phoenixes from shipyards throughout Great Britain and
to anchor them in the inlet near Lee-on-Solent.

Phoenixes
at anchor near Lee-on-Solent

On June 4th or 5th, 1944 the
tugs began towing the Phoenixes at 3 or 4 knots towards Normandy -- a distance
of about 90 miles. The tugs stalled for a while when the invasion was postponed
for a day, and on June 6 anchored next to a battleship about 4 or 5 miles
offshore. The battleship shelled the beaches all day and night.

MV
Farallon towing a Phoenix on June 7, 1944
Normandy is barely visible in the background

On June 7, about a mile offshore,
the MV Farallon and other large tugs turned the Phoenixes over to small
harbor tugs operated by "civilian" mariners of the Army Transport
Service, who held them in position while sea valves were opened to flood
the interior. The MV Farallon made 8 or 9 round trips towing Phoenixes from
England.

Small
Harbor Tugs positioning a Phoenix at Normandy

When completed, each Mulberry
was about one mile long, and stood about 30 feet above sea level at low
tide, 10 feet above sea level at high tide. Seven Liberty ships at a time
could tie up at a Mulberry to unload their cargo into landing craft.

75
Phoenixes formed a Mulberry. Each Phoenix was topped with an anti-aircraft
gun emplacement. Note the barrage balloon for protection against dive
bombers

Derelict
ships were sunk to form a Gooseberry

Extending the artificial harbor
were 89 derelict ships which had been damaged beyond repair. These ships
made it to Normandy under their own power, crewed by volunteer mariners.
Each was held in position by 4 small tugs while explosives blew their bottoms
out, sinking them to create a Gooseberry or blockships. The tugs
removed the crew from the ships. These breakwaters calmed the waters inside
the harbor and eliminated the surf and breakers on the beach.

This was done under fire from
the beach and German planes.

Lobnitz Pierheads were
giant upside-down tables 60 feet wide and 200 feet long -- with 4 huge steel
legs. The legs were dropped down into the sand, and the "tabletop"
adjusted to the water level. Seven Lobnitzes side-by-side created a 1,400
foot-long pier which allowed LST's and cargo ships to unload directly into
trucks. During her trip from New York to England in March 1944, the MV Farallon
towed a barge which was destined to become the floating "tabletop"
of a Lobnitz.

Whale causeways -- steel
pontoon bridges which connected the Lobnitz Pierheads to the shore -- were
towed from England on barges. Bombardons, seen as a straight line
just below the words Omaha Beach on the map, were narrow steel floats 200
feet long which were moored outside the Mulberries to help break up the
incoming waves.

Hospital
ship docked at a Lobnitz Pierhead

Pontoon
bridge or "Whale" causeway

Operation Corncob was
the name given to getting the harbor to Normandy and assembling it in position.
The idea for an artificial harbor such as this was first suggested by Winston
Churchill during World War I. Lt. General Sir Frederick Morgan, a descendant
of the pirate Henry Morgan, was in charge of planning the harbors. A similar
harbor was under consideration for the invasion of Japan. The harbor at
Omaha Beach was destroyed and that at Gold Beach was damaged by a storm
during June 19-22, but the Allies were able to utilize the harbor at Cherbourg
after June 26. In 1994 Perry Adams returned to Normandy and saw several
Phoenixes remaining at Gold Beach.

Aerial
view of Normandy harbor. Phoenixes at the bottom with 4 ships at anchor.
Lobnitz Pierheads with a pair of Whale causeways in the center.

Bronze Star Citation to Captain
W.J. Publicover

For meritorious service and
courageous devotion to duty during the landing operations in Normandy, France,
in June 1944.

Captain Publicover, Master of
the U. S. War Shipping Administration Tug Farallon, was assigned to the
task of towing vital military and naval equipment to the assault areas on
the coast of France. By expert seamanship and navigational skill, and in
spite of cross winds and rough seas, he accomplished his difficult task
in a most efficient manner. His steadfast courage in the face of enemy artillery
fire, heavily mined water, and sporadic air attack, was an inspiration to
his crew. The courage and devotion to duty of Captain Publicover were in
keeping with the best traditions of the United States Merchant Marine.

[The Captains of all 10 War Shipping
Administration tugs and the 2 Navy tugs received similar Citations.]

The
MV Farallon was towing a damaged Liberty, SS John A. Treutlen, when the
Liberty was torpedoed by a German submarine. Note the tow cable in the
lower right corner.

Perry Adams entered U.S.
Maritime Service basic training camp in March 1943, and continued in the
Purser/Pharmacist's Mate program at Sheepshead Bay, NY.

During this 12 week program he
was trained to treat wounds, administer blood plasma, dispense drugs, do
minor surgery, and provide routine medical care. Six weeks at Baltimore
Marine Hospital provided practical experience. Like the other 4,236 graduates
of the program, Perry had an additional 6 weeks of Purser School to learn
to do bookkeeping and paperwork aboard ship.

On November 1, 1943 Perry was
assigned to the MV Farallon, which did rescue and tows along the Atlantic
Coast until March 1944, when they left for England. They shuttled across
the English Channel until December 1944. Perry Adams sailed until May 1946,
returned to college, working for American Hawaiian Steam Ship Company during
the summers. He sailed for a few years with Pacific Far East Lines, and
remained in port positions with the shipping industry until 1976, when he
started his own consulting business.

General
Dwight D. Eisenhower:Every man in this Allied command is quick to express
his admiration for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of the officers and
men of the Merchant Marine. We count upon their efficiency and their utter
devotion to duty as we do our own; they have never failed us yet and in
all the struggles yet to come we know that they will never be deterred by
any danger, hardship, or privation. When final victory is ours there
is no organization that will share its credit more deservedly than the Merchant
Marine.